Fastener for securing molding trims



Feb. 5; 1952 poup c I 2,584,813

FASTENER FOR SECURING MOLDING TRIMS Filed 00 C. 15, 1947 I-his invention relates ?atented Feb. 5, 1952 UNITED 'S J 'TATES PATENT OFFICE of Illinois ment in" sheet metal. fastening devices, and is directed more particularly to a one-piece sheet metal fastener for securing molding trim and other like objects to apertured work pieces.

Molding trim which has been in common use as an ornamentation for automobiles and the .like consists of a strip of metal, usually polished stainless steel, said strip being arcuate in crosssection and having inturned flanges along each longitudinal margin. Fasteners employed to secure the molding in place must engage the inner surface of these flanges on one side of an apertured work piece, and must extend through the aperture of the work piece and interlock or latchingly engage the opposite side. The fasteners or clips are usually applied to the molding strip prior to the application of the strip to the work surface, and the-fasteners are distributed in spaced relation conforming with the spacing of the complementary apertures in the work piece. Hence, it is important that these fasteners-engenerally to an improvegage the interior of the molding trim withsufi'icient friction to prevent inadvertent or-unauthorized longitudinal displacement after the,

fasteners have been properly positioned in spaced relation in the strip. The present invention contemplates a molding fastener or clipof extremely simple construction, yet having the required strength and otherstructuraland functional features essential for its intended use. To this end the invention contemplates alfastener which may be produced from fiatsheet stockby the practice of conventional stamping and forming methods.

More specifically, the invention contemplates a one-piece sheet metal fastener asset forth above having a resilient or yieldable head structure designed to facilitatelits'initial application to, and subsequent positioning within, the hollow areas of a strip of molding 'trini.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide molding clips or fasteners of the type referred to above in which the head structure is made up of a plurality of sections which may be shifted transversely of .the 'shahk axis, and the shank may be conveniently'latched againstthe inner surface of awork piece after a molding strip has been applied to. the outersurface thereof. I n j Another object of the present invention is to provide a fastener for molding trim equipped with a resilient head sectionof extremely simple and novel form which. maybe snapped into'th'e' open 0ugljesa Jules Poupitch, Chicago, IlL, assignor to Illinois Tool Works, Chicago, 111., a corporation Application October 15, 1947, Serial No. 780,004 v 2 Claims. (oi. -5)

2 V positioned within the molding by frictionally contacting the inner surface thereof.

I The foregoing and other objects and advantages willbe more apparent from the foregoing detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure l is a perspective view of one embodiment of the fastener shown in assembled relation with a molding and a work piece;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the fastener shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken along the line 3-3 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is an enlarged side view of the head of the fastener shown in Figure 2;

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken along line 55 of Figure 3;

Figure 6 is a perspective view of a modified fastener;

Figure 7 is a perspective view of still another embodiment of the invention;

Figure 8 is a sectional view similar to Figure 3 showing the embodiment of Figure 7 in assembled relation with the molding and a work piece fastener [includes a head structure designated generally by the numeral 4, and this head structure comprises two head sections 6 and 8 formed integral with one extremity of a shank [0. It will be apparentthat the fastener 2 may be produced from a'single'strip of metallic stock by first providing the strip at one end with a centrally po- ,sit'ioned severance or notch l2. The two strips thus separated by the severance l2 are then bent laterally with respect to the shank and subsequently folded back to form a reverse bend. This folding operation results in providing portions l4 and "I6 of double thickness stock extending in opposite directions and at substantially right angles to the shank and portions l8 and 20 of single thickness stock extending oppositely from each of their companion portions l4 and I6. The

portions l8 and 20 are longer than the portions I d and I 6, as will be clearly evident from Figures 3 and.4. The head sections 6 and 8 are also somewhat arcuate in cross-section, as viewed in Figures 3'and 4. The portions I8, 20 of single thickness are directed inwardly of the shank so that the rounded end of each is disposed in the plane of the inner layer of the corresponding opposite double layer end. v

, It will be noted that the severance or notch 12 side of a strip of molding aittomaticaIIy extends intothe shank portion H! a sufficient distance to render yieldable those portions of the shank immediately adjacent the head structure. In other words, by providing the severance extending into the shank the head sections 68 may be shifted or sprung transversely of the shank for purposes about to be described. The distance A, Figure 4, between parallel lines touching thefree extremities of the head portions 18 and 20 normally greater than the internal width of the molding strip 2! for which the fastener is designed to be used. By applying pressure to the head sections '6i8 in a direction transverse to the shank, these sections maybe shifted from the solid linepositionto'thedotted line position illustrated in Figure 4. The overall width of the combined head sections is thereby reduced to the distance B, and. by reducing this overall width to the distance B the head l4 may be sprung into the hollow of the moldingstrip 2| When the pressure'is released the free margins of the head portions 18 and 2D spring outwardly into frictional engagement with opposite inner surfaceportions of the'molding trim, thereby exerting a sufficient friction between the fastener and the trim to prevent inadvertent shifting of the fastener longitudinally of the molding. By'having'the corners of the projectingportions Iii-20 rounded, the ease with which the'fastener may be inserted from the end of the molding trim is materially facilitated.

In actual use the fasteners or molding strips are first applied to the molding in a spaced relation corresponding with the spacing of-apertures 22. The molding may then be applied to the work by telescopically associating the shanks lfi'with their companion apertures 22. With the molding positioned as shown in Figures land 3 the'shank may then be twisted so as to provide shoulders 24 which abut the inner surface of the work piece 26, thereby securely clamping the molding 2| in place. The apertures22 are preferably of rectangular or elliptical shape corresponding'generally with the cross-sectional shape of the shank I0. Obviously, other shapes of openings may be employed to conform'with-shanksof-other conventional shape. I

In Figure 6- a slightly modified'form of molding clip'is' shown designated generally by the numeral 2a. This fastener 2c. is similar in all respects to the fastener 2'previously describedfexcept that the shank Illa-is provided with shoulders 28 to facilitate latching -of the; fastener against the inner surface of the work piece. Portions of the fastener 2a structurally similar to the fastener 2* aregiven corresponding numbers bearing the SllfllX a.

Figures 7 and 8 disclose-a still further fastener modification designated generally by thefnumeral 2b. This fastener 22) differs onl from'the fastener 2 previously described in the provision of latching fingers 30 for intelocking with the inner surface of the work piece 26. These latching fingers 30-are struck from the body of the shank Illb, and are designed to be pushed through the work aperture 22 so as to ultimately occupy the latching position shown in FigureB. In this form of fastener the locking fingers 30make it unnecessary to twist the shank after the fastener has been fully inserted within the work aperture.

present invention provides a fastener or clip of extremely simple structural form, as well "as'a fastener which may be produced-very economically from flatsheet stock. By havingthe porstructure severed or relieved so as to render this area of the shank more resilient, the ease with which the head sections may be shifted transversely of the shank axis is greatly facilitated. It will also be apparent that the invention contemplates a fastener which may be combined with a molding trim or strip either by inserting it from one end thereofj'or by snapping or locking it into position. The fastener of the present invention may be used in instances where the molding strip is made of relatively resilient stock, as wellas 'in instances where the molding strip material is quite rigid and incapable of being flexed without the application of considerable force. The fastener described herein, although of extremlysimple structural form and capable of being produced from relatively thin sheet stock, is very strong and will withstand high stresses acting either transversely or longitudinally of the fastener. It will also be understood that the head sections contemplated hereby are not only transversely 's'hiftable due to the resiliency of theseveredara of the adjacent shank portion, but are "also flexible axially of the fastener. Thisaxial flexing of the head sections cooperates with the latching engagement of the shank with the inner surface of the work piece to secure more firmly the molding trim against the outer-surface of the work piece.

While for purposes of disclosure, certain structural embodiments have'beendescribed herein, it'will be understood that other modifications and changes "are contemplated hereby without departing from the spiritand-scope of the appended claims.

The invention is hereby claimed as follows:

1. A one-piece sheet metal molding clip for mounting channel shapp'ed moldings with inturned flanges upon a work piece and comprising a-plate-like shankhaving atone end a short and substantially uniform, narrow, longitudinal severance 'to present'apair of normally coplanar plate-like "elements 'each being approximately 'half the width of thefs'hank and flexible transversely of the pl'anebfthe'shank, and said shank "having at the opposite end thereof below the longitudinal s'everance'arelatively rigid and substantiallyfplanar entering end section for insertion within-a workaprtu're, a head section including'a pluralityofadjacently-positioned sepa- 'rate'head"meiribers on" opposite sides of the lon- -gitudihal severance and of substantially the width ofiaicorresponding plate-like element, each "head member --c6nsisting of '"a continuation of the stock of a corresponding one of said platelike elements in the form of -a return double layer bend with the innerdayer disposed at 'substantiallyri'g'htangles-totlie shank and with the outerlayerfbent'backuponthe inner layer, each doubleda'lyer bend projecting substantially normally of the shank'on opposite sides thereof and terminating in 1 a free single layer extremity also oppositely projecting 'substantiallynormally from opposite sides "of "the'shank, each single layer extremity being "directed inwardly to position 'thend margin thereof substantially in the plane From the foregoing it'will be apparentthatth'e {'70 tion of the shank'inthe vicinity ofthehea'd w of the innerlay'er of its"'cor'responding opposite double layer "bend and each said end margin normally'projecting "laterally from the shank a distance greater than the end margin of the "double'layerbend on "theadjacent head member "at the s'ame 's'id'epf said shank,and said head members being"shiftable transversely with trans- :v'erse flexhig of "saldfplajtedike"elements to bring the"ehd"margins of 'adjacenthad' members toward substantial alignment parallel to the plane of the entering end of the shank for reducing the maximum transverse extent of the head members between the free margins of the single layer extremities whereby to facilitate operative association thereof with opposed inturned flanges of a complementary channel-shaped molding strip on one face of the work piece, and said shank having deformable portions for engaging the opposite face of the work piece.

2. A one-piece sheet metal molding clip as claimed in claim 1, wherein the opposite edges of the shank are provided with shoulders spaced from and facing toward the head members and eachi'iormally disposed in the plane of the shank.

OUGLJESA JULES POUPITCH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the -\M 45 of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Number 15 15,005 

